Stay Alive for Me (Shane x Reader)
by amaranthlilith
Summary: As you move into your grandfather's farm in Stardew Valley, it was like pressing the reset button. Your old life was suddenly behind you. Upon meeting the people in town, there was someone who seemed more special than the others. *Credit Image:
1. Chapter 1: New Beginning

You had taken a bus to Stardew Valley a year ago to visit your dying grandfather. He called you to sit close by his bed and handed you a letter as he told you to open it when you felt a growing emptiness in your life. On your way back, you tried to understand what he meant. It was a mournful time or it was supposed to be anyways. Your job barely gave you any time to mourn.

Now, months later, you sat at your desk, contemplating your life. Joja Corporation: "Life's Better With Joja." Only it wasn't. It was actually extremely awful. You had no time for any hobbies or friends. You had begun to feel that growing emptiness a long time ago, but only now had it become clear. You slipped your hand from your keyboard to the small drawer to your right. Inside was the rectangular envelope from your grandpa. You carefully opened it and read. It explained that he had left you his farm in Stardew Valley and was signed "Love, Grandpa." He wished you the best of luck. Your eyes teared up a bit at the kind man that had left your life. You missed him.

Your belongings were gathered up and you were on a bus to Stardew Valley. You felt a hint of excitement that hadn't been there in years. As you grew near, you began to see a canvass of green and blue. There were tall mountains and an open sky. It was a change of scenery from the monotonous grayness of the city. Once you arrived, a woman named Robin was waiting for you. She claimed the mayor sent her to get you. After a short ten minute walk, you were looking at your new home. There was a cottage, not any smaller than your apartment, in front of you. It was wooden with green around the windows and a slightly reddish roof. Looking ahead of the house, it was covered in long grass, branches, trees, and stones.

Robin noticed you glancing at the mess and claimed, "There is good soil underneath that mess. It just takes some dedication."

"I look forward to it, but it's gonna take a lot of work to get to that good soil though." you said with a sheepish smile. A man then stepped out through the door of your home.

"Hello, Y/N. I'm Mayor Lewis," he said stretching his hand out to you, "everybody has been waiting for your arrival. It's not everyday someone new moves into town."

"Nice to meet your, Mayor. I can't wait to meet everyone." you responded, shaking the old man's hand.

Robin and Mayor Lewis then had a small quarrel for your sake about the house being "'rustic" or "crusty." You chuckled about it quietly. Mayor Lewis suggested resting then looking around town tomorrow. They wished you luck as they said goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2: The Meeting

You woke up, surrounded by the green wallpaper of your new home. It all still felt sort of unreal. You had never been one to be bold or rash in your decisions. Quite the contrary, you tended to be indecisive. Yet, here you were. As you stepped out of the front door, there was an orange box with a purple bow on it. The card read: "Here's a little something to get you started. –Mayor Lewis." Inside was packet of fifteen parsnip seeds to be planted in spring. _Well it's time to get to work then._ You grabbed your tools and began slashing and hacking at the rubble in front your house. Once the ground was clear, you used your hoe to till the soil. It took you a bit of time, but you began to get the hang of it fairly quickly. After having planted the seeds and watered them, you felt some of your energy drained, but decided to go into town anyways. _I hope I won't be too awkward._ It was still 8:00am, you could smell the flowers in the air and everything was blooming. Butterflies floating about. It was beautiful.

Following the signs, you made your way into town. The first place you visited was the clinic. Inside a man with soft brown eyes introduced himself, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Harvey, the local doctor." He told you a bit about his job before you left.

Walking around was a plump woman with a long braid of hair. She smiled at you, "I'm Marnie!" and invited you to visit her ranch and check out her products. You smiled back a lot and thanked her, not knowing what else to say.

Next was "Pierre's General Store." Pierre exclaimed, "Hey, it's Y/N!" He encouraged you to buy seeds from him instead of Joja Corp. You assured him you would never buy from those people, which was apparently the right thing to say.

You kept walking and found a built man with short brown hair standing by the tree next to a house. "Hey, you're the new girl, huh? I think we're going to get along great. I'm Alex." He was playing with a football as he talked to you. "I'll see you around." _These people are all really nice._ Inside the house were two elderly people that greeted you. The old woman held your hand and said, "Why, hello and welcome to our little community, dear! You can call me 'Granny' if you like." _She is so sweet._ Her husband, whose named you learned was George simply said, "It's irritating to have to meet all these new people, huh? Now, buzz off" and continued to watch TV. You began to apologize, but Granny Evelyn simply told you to not worry about him.

In front of a worn trailer sat a blonde woman with heavy makeup drinking a beer. "Hey kid, name's Pam. Don't be a jerk and we'll get along fine." You continued to introduce yourself politely as you had been and got out of her way.

As you passed the town's graveyard, you saw a girl sitting below a tree reading a book. She simply said "Hi…Did you want something?" You introduced yourself and she rapidly apologized for being so rude and began blushing. Her name turned out to be Penny, Pam's daughter, she tutored the two kids in town.

Passing by was a tall girl with a green shirt and muddy boots. "Hi, my name is Leah. You picked a good time to move here…the spring is lovely." Her voice had a cheerful tone as she spoke to you about Cindersap forest. _She could be really helpful, seems to know a lot about the wild._

A girl with bright blue hair and red lips opened the door of the house that followed. "Ooh! I can read it on your face. You're going to love it here at Pelican Town. I'm Emily. Stop by the saloon. That's where I work!" She was so friendly, it really made you smile. Until another girl showed up. She had blue eyes, styled blonde hair and an adorable, sexy outfit. You felt inadequate in your dirty boots, jeans, and shirt.

"Ew, you're sweaty." You had been dreading something like this all day.

Emily yelled, "Haley! That's rude!"

"Fine, sorry. I'm Haley. Don't bother talking to me."

Emily began to argue with her sister but you just said, "It's okay. I guess it's all the farm work and walking around. I'm not used to it. And I'll do my best to stay out your way!"

They continued to argue so you just left. The house next to Emily's was a deep blue. You knocked on the door, but when it opened you couldn't see anyone. Big eyes looked up at you and the young boy said, "Oh, a stranger! My name's Vincent." You knelt down and shook his hand. His mother quickly showed up and gave you a strange look. "You aren't exactly how I imagined…but that's okay. I'm Jodi." _What's that supposed to mean?_ you thought but remained polite.

As you walked around, you found your way into the town's library. A thin man with a baby blue cowboy hat introduced himself as Gunther. He apologized for not having any archeological artifacts on display and asked you to let him know if you found any. You enjoyed helping others so you agreed despite having just arrived. Reading a book along the shelves you saw a man with a handsome face and long, flowing hair. He caught a glimpse of you and smiled, "Ah, the farmer we've all been expecting…and whose arrival has sparked many a conversation. I'm a writer. My name is Elliott. It is a pleasure." He then kissed your hand which was a little shocking.

Above the library was the blacksmith's. He was a large, average looking man. "Er…hi. I'm Clint. If you ever need to upgrade your tools, I'm your guy." After you introduced yourself, you both just looked around. He seemed uncomfortable so you promptly left.

Standing on the bridge above the river was a pale girl with curly, purple hair. "Oh, right. I heard someone new was moving into that old farm. It's a shame. I always enjoyed exploring those overgrown fields by myself." You encouraged her to keep exploring since it was a large area and you were barely getting started. She stopped acknowledging you and looked off at the water.

"Her name is Abigail." A guy with spiky blonde hair and a big smile showed up. "Hi, I'm Sam. Nice to meet you." He told you about his music and you said you couldn't wait to hear it.

You had to walk further up to reach Robin's house. She introduced you to her husband, Demetrius and daughter, Maru. Demetrius did scientific research and Maru helped him out. She began talking about the DNA of crops and all you could do was nod. _What a smart girl._ You walked right and picked up what seemed like a horse radish. As you got up, you were surprised to see a guy dressed all in black with his hair covering half of his face. He looked at you, "Oh, you just moved in, right?" very casually, "Cool." _Oh, I'm so relieved. He looked kind of rude, but he seems nice._ "Out of all the places you could live, you chose Pelican Town?" You struggled to respond and he just walked away and began to smoke a cigarette. _He wouldn't really understand._ His name was Sebastian.

Upon walking from your meeting place with Sebastian, you found a scruffy looking man with gray hair and beard, wearing strange clothes. "I'm Linus. I'm homeless by choice. Have you come to judge me too?" You assured him you wanted to be friends, but he still looked at you a little coldly. _It is a bit odd to be homeless by choice, but I'm nobody to judge him._

It began to grow dark and on your way home you ran into the Stardrop Saloon. Emily excitedly waved at you. She introduced you to Gus, the owner. He offered you a beer on the house as a welcoming gift. You got closer to the fireplace to warm your hands. It was spring, but the nights were still cold. You saw a guy you hadn't met in a tattered Joja uniform and short and dark purple hair. He was drinking beer, fairly quickly. There was something about him that made you feel weird. You began to introduce yourself as you had done all day, but he didn't look at you. After a few second, he drank from his beer and your eyes met, his were dark and lacked any light, "I don't know you. Why are you talking to me?" You stood there. Unsure of what to do, you quietly said "Sorry" and walked away. You left your beer and walked outside.

Emily came chasing after you, "Don't feel bad, Y/N. His name is Shane. He's like that."

You remained quiet.

"Y/N?" Emily seemed concerned.

"Don't worry, Emily. I'm okay, but it's late and I have crops to water in the morning. Thank you for everything. Goodnight!"

"Alright, Y/N. Be safe on your way home! See you tomorrow!"


	3. Chapter 3: Goodnight

The Stardrop Saloon was empty. Neither Gus nor Emily were behind the bar. You stood on the olive green rug by the entrance. The crackling of the fire place was soothing. A song you liked was already playing on the jukebox. Suddenly, you were holding a beer in your hand. You put the bottle to your lips. It tasted sweet somehow. You took a few steps across the wooden floor as it made a creak or two. It was so warm. A cold gust of air then blew out the fire. Startled, you dropped your bottle. The liquid splattered all over the floor. You felt a strange presence behind you. Slowly, you turned around and found Shane standing close to your face. Your heart began to beat faster. Then, you woke up.

 _Just a dream then. I don't know what it is about him that has me feeling like this. He's so rude! I shouldn't have even talked to him in the first place...But I'm glad I did._


	4. Chapter 4: Discovery

You awoke from that dream. _I just "met" him. I don't know anything about him and yet, there's this look in his eyes… For the love of Yoba, I have to stop and get to work._ You began shaking your head as if that could make your thoughts of him go away. Ready to face the day, you checked the mail and discovered a letter from a man named Willy on your mailbox: "Hello there, Just got back from a fishing trip. You should come down to the beach sometime. I've got something for ya." You had spent all your time in town meeting people, that you forgot to visit the beach. _I will go right after I finish watering my little parsnips!_ Though it didn't sound like a complicated thing to do, you struggled to water the correct area and sometimes ended up watering the bare ground. _Is it really so hard to get the water to land where I want it?_

As you began to walk into town square, you saw a glimpse of violet…moving right towards you. _Oh, Yoba, what do I do?_ Panicking, you hid behind the clinic. _I wonder where he's going this early…would it be too weird if I followed him? I'm just trying to get to know the town, that's all._ You quietly followed behind Shane, making sure he wouldn't notice you. Finally, you arrived at JojaMart. _Of course! His uniform. I should've known he was heading to work. So Joja has even slithered its way into this small town._ "Join us. Thrive." _Thrive? More like die._ You waited some times before entering the evil store. A man with the face of a crow welcomed you," How are you doing today? I don't believe we've met. I'm Morris, Joja Customer Satisfaction Rep. When you decide you want to become a member…" _Blah blah blah…_ You ignored Morris and looked around to find Shane. You spotted him by isle C, stocking the shelves. You felt a little curious and got awfully close, but he still didn't seem to pay any attention to you. He was hard at work. _Even in this terrible place, he's working hard. That's kind of admirable…_ You began to blush at your own thought of him and quickly left the store. Once outside, you took a deep breath and walked over to the beach.

You finally found Willy on the deck. He was smoking tobacco from a pipe. The strong aroma intermingled with the saltiness of the ocean air. The water was calm and the day was warm. "Ahoy there, miss. Good to finally meet ya. I'm still tryin' to unwind from a month out on the salty seas…Finally saved enough to buy me a new rod. Here, I want you to have my old fishing rod. It's important to me that the art o' fishing stays alive. And hey, maybe you'll buy something from the shop once in a while." Willy taught you how to fish, despite you being kind of slow and messing up completely several times. _This is more difficult than I thought…_ When you finally understood the basics, a few hours had passed.

"I'll buy anything you catch. If it smells, it sells. Heh heh. That's what my ol' Pappy used to say, anyway."

"Thank you so much for all of your kindness! I'll do my best!" you told him with a serious look.

"No need to be so polite, Y/N," he chuckled, "we're like family in this town. Glad to have ya."

You thanked him anyways and headed home to get some well-deserved rest.


	5. Chapter 5: Rainy Day

There was no need to water your crops. The rain would be your magical watering can for today. It left you more time to do other things. As you put on a raincoat and stepped out, the earthy scent of rain falling on dry soil made you feel tingly. You looked up in wonder and inhaled deeply as if out of breath. Without really meaning to, you began thinking of him again. This cold, gloomy rain reminded you of him. It was getting to be time for him to go into work at JojaMart. _I wonder what he's thinking right now._ Slightly away from your crops you saw a bright, yellow flower. It was like a small sun in this cloudy day. You gently plucked the flower. It was a daffodil. _It's so beautiful. Maybe this could get him to smile._ You hurried off and waited for him in town square. _I hope this doesn't waste his time and make him late. Oh, there he is._

"No, I don't have time to chat with you," he said as he kept walking.

"I was thinking this might make your day a little better." You handed him the daffodil with hopeful eyes.

He stopped walking and finally looked at you, "I don't really like this." You apologized, but he simply continued on and you eventually lost sight of him.

 _Well, at least he took the flower._ You sat on the bench in front of the saloon. _So he doesn't like flowers. I should've probably expected that. Not everyone likes flowers. I don't know what I was thinking. Why do I feel so bad? Maybe if I plant some seeds I'll feel better._ You headed to Pierre's, but when you tried to open the door, it simply stay put. You checked the calendar. _Of course, it's Wednesday. Why didn't I buy some yesterday? I'm such an idiot._ You also couldn't help but notice that Shane's birthday was on the 20th. _I definitely won't be giving him flowers._

Walking with your head down, you found your way into the beach and moved around aimlessly on the docks. Suddenly, you ran into a dark figure. When you looked up, you realized it was Sebastian.

"Hey"

"I'm sorry for running into you! Im so so…."

"Don't worry about it. You're very small so I barely felt it."

"Oh, I guess I am kind of small."

"What are you doing out here in the rain?"

"I don't know. Just thinking." you looked down.

"Try to stop thinking for a bit. Watch the rain. I'll never grow tired of the rain...especially out here."

"It is amazing and it smells amazing too." you began to smile a little. You stood around while Sebastian smoked several cigarettes under his umbrella. The sun had already begun to set and the day grew darker. "I'm going to go to the saloon. Thank you for helping me." you gave him a wide smile.

"Help you with what? I was just enjoying the rain."

"Right. Aren't you going home? It's getting late."

"I have trouble sleeping."

"I think I might have some teas for that if…."

"I'm okay. Just go."

"Oh okay. Well, goodnight then. Be safe getting home!" you said, but Sebastian stopped responding.

Getting to the saloon was a bit of a struggle in the dark, but you managed to make it. You bought a beer even though you didn't have much money to spend. Trying to not think at all, you walked over to Shane.

"I'm sorry about earlier! Here!" you said as you handed him the beer, trying to avoid looking at his face.

"Now, this is my favorite." He said accepting it.

Not knowing what else to do, you blushed your way into a seat away from him and asked Emily for a water (since you had spent your money on that beer for Shane). _I wonder what else he likes. Maybe I can ask Emily or Gus later._ With this in mind, you headed home.


	6. Chapter 6: Happy Birthday

Shane's birthday was coming up and you wanted to get him something he would like. Asking about him was a little more intimidating than you originally thought though. You kept thinking about all the possibilities. What if they thought you were weird? Some kind of stalker? What if Emily liked Shane? What if they decided to lie to you? _I'm overthinking again…I can do this. I just have to ask them._ One afternoon, you decided to stop by the saloon when it was still fairly empty. You rushed in with a serious face and wide eyes.

"Good afternoon!" you said a little louder than usual.

"Hey, Y/N," Emily said giving you a smile, "What are you doing here so early?"

"I have a question!" you were coming off a little strange, but didn't back down.

"Um, okay. What is it?" Emily and Gus looked at each other then back at you.

"Could you please tell me what Shane likes besides beer?" you continued trying to be confident.

"Is there anything else?" Gus chuckled as he continued to dry off a glass.

"Gus!" Emily gave him a slight tap on the arm, "Well, I'm friends with Shane so I can tell you. I know he likes spicy things and pizza. That's honestly about all I see him eat and maybe eggs.

"Sounds like that boy should fix up his diet." Gus shook his head.

"Maybe, but I think everyone could learn to be accepting of others." Emily smiled at you again.

"Yea! And maybe he'll grow to like other things later. He probably just doesn't have much time to cook since he's always working." you said defensively.

"Alright, alright," Gus chuckled again, "No need to get mad. I'm not complaining. The kid comes here about everyday so it helps my business."

"I wasn't getting mad…I was just saying." You blushed as Emily laughed.

Even though it was his birthday, Shane still ended up working that day. No one seemed to say anything to him or give him any presents. You went over to the saloon that evening. Shane was already in his usual corner, drinking beer.

"Hey, Gus. Could I have a pizza?" you asked.

"Sure thing!"

"And could you make it extra special?"

"What's the occasion?" he asked as he put your money in the register.

"Well…It's Shane's birthday and I wanted to get him something he liked." you said fiddling with your fingers.

"Ahh, got ya," he winked.

"It's not like that!" you yelled, but Gus was already walking away.

When he finally handed you the pizza, you realized it had red pepper flakes sprinkled all over the cheese. You thanked Gus and he gave you a thumbs up. You began to walk over to Shane, but before you reached him, someone else caught his attention. Emily had come out from behind the bar and was handing Shane some pepper poppers. She even gave him a hug. And he smiled. _My gift isn't as good as hers. I barely even know him. Maybe I'll just be getting in the way._ You put the special pizza back on the bar and promptly left the saloon. You got home quickly and tried hard to sleep. It was a complete failure. A mixture of jealousy and sadness was coursing through every part of you. You decided to go for a walk through the forest. Maybe it would help clear your head.

 _Emily is a friendly, cheery girl. She seems so quirky and nice and so pretty. Red lipstick looks great on her. I could never pull that off. There is no way I could compete with her. I'm just the new farmer._ You walked over to the lake in the forest. Maybe you would do a little night fishing or just look at the stars. As you got closer, you noticed a faint light at the end of the dock. A figure was sitting at the edge. You quietly walked closer and realized it was Shane. It was a sad image. To see him drinking alone in the dark on his birthday. You decided to sit next to him.

"Up late, huh?"

"I wanted to say…Happy birthday, Shane."

"Gus gave me the pepper pizza you ordered for me. Thanks."

"It was no problem at all. I hope you liked it."

"Here, have a cold one." he said as he handed a beer to you.

"Oh, thank you." you both watched the black lake and a few minutes of silence passed.

"Buh…Life. You ever feel like…no matter what you do, you're gonna fail?" you looked at him with sad eyes. He continued, "…Like you're stuck in some miserable abyss and you're so deep you can't even see the light of day? I just feel like no matter how hard I try…I'm not strong enough to climb out of that hole."

"Yes, I know that feeling," you looked down at the beer, "If you're not strong enough, I'd like to help you climb out." and you chugged it.

"Heh…fast drinker, huh? Woman after my own heart." he responded, disregarding what you said. You began to blush, but he didn't seem to notice. "Just don't make it a habit…you got a future ahead of you still."

"You do too."

"Right. Welp, my liver's beggin' me to stop. Better call it a night. See you around, Y/N."

"Hope you have a goodnight." and he was gone.

 _I know better than you think…Shane…You shouldn't have to go through it._ Your tears fell like light rain on the quiet darkness of the lake that night. The moonlight's gentle rays comforting you. Hopefully they were comforting him too.


	7. Chapter 7: The Flower Dance

Ever since what happened on Shane's birthday, you looked at him differently. You talked to him every day that you could, but he was rude as before. You had an odd attraction from the start, but now you realized the truth behind his harshness. _There's invisible icicles you try to hide. They are sharp and cold, digging into your insides. Most people cannot see them, you won't let them. But I can see. I see the way they won't let you sleep. I see the effort it takes to move when the frozen nails are keeping you down. I see the bitterness of the cold reaching into your heart…and that explains why sometimes it's hard to feel any warmth. I see the way they numb your lips and the way your eyes are frigid. No matter how many times you try to melt them, they just return. I know. I really wish I could help…I can't lose someone else to this._

Spring was coming to an end and the Flower Dance was approaching. Mayor Lewis had sent a letter in the mail telling you that you might even want to participate in the dance. _Maybe I can ask Shane…though I don't know that he would like to dance with me. Or that he would like to dance at all for that matter. Maybe I'll just talk to him only._

Once you had harvested everything and watered the remaining crops, you realized that you were actually nervous. It was a dance…and you weren't particularly great at dancing. You had attended a few dances before, but they always ended up being kind of boring or stressful. You didn't really like loud noise and were kind of sensitive to it. But maybe this would be different since it was just the people in Pelican Town.

Granny Evelyn had been put in charge of decorations and it looked wonderful. There were colorful arrangements of flowers to complement the brightness of the grass. Emily saw you as you were coming in and greeted you.

"Hey, Y/N! Whoo… I'm stuffed. You're gonna love the red jelly. Make sure to have some."

"Thanks, I will." and you suddenly gave her a hug, feeling bad for being jealous and internally mad at her. Emily didn't even question it and simply hugged you back.

You talked to the rest of people around and spotted Shane sitting by one of the tables. All kinds of food rested on the pink mantel, roasted chicken, the red jelly Emily mentioned, salad, parsnip stew, and drinks. You pulled the wooden chair next to him and slowly sat on it.

"Hey, farmer."

"Oh…uh…hey, Shane!" you were surprised he had actually greeted you.

"I'm just here for the food really. You into these dances?" he took a gulp of his drink.

"Well, not really. I don't know how to dance that well."

"Then why did you come?" he asked.

"I thought it'd be nice to spend time with people in town, I guess."

You noticed Sebastian looking at you several feet away. You smiled and waved, but he quickly looked away. You turned back to Shane who continued drinking his beer. You decided to ask him if he knew anything about animals. You knew he would since he lived with Marnie and she had mentioned he helped with the chickens. He gave you advice on how to raise them for the future coop you were planning to get. "Make sure they get enough space and grass, alright?" he had told you with a serious expression. It was sort of cute seeing him talk about it. He seemed to really care about the hens.

Music began to play and luckily it wasn't too loud. You were watching dancing in couples on the grass. Shane had suddenly stood up and held his hand out to you.

"Come on. I can't let you embarrass yourself by stepping on someone else's feet."

"I'll try to do minimum damage." you shyly chuckled as you took his hand.

You were very nervous and neither of you were in sync. You ended up actually stepping on him several times. You furiously apologized every time and he calmly kept telling you to relax. As you took a step forward, your foot hit a small stone on the ground making you trip forward, hitting Shane, and landing on top of him. Some people were looking over at the two of you not knowing whether to laugh or be concerned, so they ignored you instead. You quickly rose up, blushing and apologizing. _I'm such a mess…_ Shane looked at you in silence for a few seconds and began laughing. His laughter drowned out all the other noise going on and it was the only music you could hear. This was the first time you had heard Shane laugh. You smiled and put your hand out to help him get up.

"How can you be this bad?" he teased as he took your hand.

"I don't know. I guess not knowing how to dance "that well" was a bit of an understatement."

"No kidding…I'm gonna take off. Thanks for the terrible dance though. See you around." he grinned.

"It was my pleasure. Bye!" you smiled widely.

That was the most beautiful thing you saw that Spring.


	8. Chapter 8: Another Summer Day

Warm and sunny weather had come with its thunderstorms. It was summer. The Luau had just passed. You managed to impress the Governor with the best soup ever using only the finest of your produce. More than anything you were just happy to spend more time with Shane and listen to him talk about how "they don't have hot pepper chutney like this in the big city." His eyes seemed to soften when you laughed, but you weren't really sure of anything.

It was a bright day and you were gathering some red mushrooms, sweet peas, and spice berries. You found yourself by Sebastian's house and decided to stop by. You actually had never been in his room, but you guys were starting to become friends. _Why not?_ you thought. _It's not a big deal, right?_ You began to get nervous, but knocked on the door anyways.

"Come in." you heard Sebastian's voice inside.

"Hey," you said walking towards his desk.

"Oh, hey. Gimme one sec." he replied still looking at the screen of his computer.

 _Should I leave? I think I'll just wait for him. It should be okay._ It was quiet besides his loud tapping on the keyboard.

"Okay. Sorry about that, I just needed to finish what I was working on." he finally said.

Curious, you walked over next to him and looked at the screen. "No worries. I didn't mind waiting. So, what are you working on? If you don't mind me asking."

"I do freelance work as a programmer." A sudden bleep rang. "That was an instant message from Sam…I guess he wants to hang out…Ugh I don't really feel like going out today." Someone then walked into the room.

"Oh, hi (Y/N)," it was Robin. She walked closer to where you and Sebastian were, "Sebby, I know you don't like it when I come in here…but I ran into Abbigail at the store and she said she was looking for you."

"Did you tell her I'm working?" Sebastian's mouth seemed to curl down and his eyes looked darker than normal.

"I did…but she said she'd probably stop by anyway." Robin said quietly.

After a long, exasperated sigh Sebastian said, "…No one takes my job seriously. No one ever bothers Maru when she's working at the clinic…does everyone think I'm just surfing the web all day?"

"Sorry, I tried." Robin replied and simply walked away shrugging.

"So, what are your career goals? There's not much for a programmer to do here, I'm guessing." You tried to lessen Sebastian's annoyance. It seemed sad that no one took his passion seriously.

"Well, I'm trying to save up so I can move out of here. Probably to the city or something." He paused. "You know, if I'd gone to college I'd probably be making six figured right now…but I just don't want to be part of that corporate rat race, you know?" he paused again, this time for a little longer.

"I do. I was part of that. It wasn't really pleasant. It's why I came here, actually." you said.

"Oh. I didn't really know." He looked at your eyes, then looking down, he finally said, "Well, and I guess I also just feel more comfortable hidden behind the computer than dealing with people face-to-face." He almost seemed to frown.

"That's okay. People make me nervous too." You gave him a small smile and put your hand on his shoulder. He looked at your hand and seemed to get flustered.

"Well I should get back to work…I need to get this module finished by tomorrow." he said with his eyes back on the screen.

"Oh, okay. Good luck with your work!" you waved bye at him as you walked away.

As you were walking home, you noticed Shane on his way to the saloon. You decided to go say hi to him.

"Hey, Shane. How was work?" you asked cheerfully.

"As awful as always." He replied, then looking over at you, "how was your day?"

"It was pretty good, I visited Sebastian and foraged for mushrooms, berries, and such."

"Who's Sebastian? Is he the emo, goth kid that goes to the saloon with some other kids?" he asked still walking.

"Yea, that one," you chuckled at Shane's description of Sebastian.

"So…are you guys…" he stopped, "nevermind."

"What?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it, really." And with that you both went into the saloon and shared a beer before you headed home for the night.


	9. Chapter 9 Dance of the Moonlight Jellies

Summer went by in a flash. Sam's birthday had passed, so Sebastian, Abigail, and you celebrated the day with him. You got some pizza for everyone and Sam thanked you, claiming it was his "absolute favorite." Then he looked over at Sebastian and said, "I can see why you like her so much!" You blushed, Sebastian shot him an ugly look and Abigail made a face you hadn't seen before, but Sam just laughed. _Why must new people always be awkwardly teased? Sebastian and I are just friends, even I know that._ Luckily, the day continued peacefully after that.

Farming wise, you experimented with planting different crops. It was sort of intimidating, but you were a farmer now. You had to learn. Melon and red cabbage seeds were expensive to buy, but they sold for even more. You learned it was worth the money. You also learned about the majesty that is corn. _I can harvest this over and over again…It's amazing._ Your knowledge had begun to expand. You were also saving up money and collecting wood and stone to have Robin build you a chicken coop. You even had a name for your first chicken… _Nutmeg if it's brown or Miso if it's white._ It was still morning when you finished watering your crops and checked the mail.

"Dear (Y/N), Tonight at around 10 o'clock PM, a rare and beautiful event will take place. The moonlight jellies will be passing by Pelican Town on their long journey south for the winter. We're all gathering at the beach to watch. You don't want to miss this!

See you tonight,

Demetrius."

 _Well, this sounds like fun. I bet Shane will be there too._ You smiled. It was the last day of summer, so you harvested everything you could. It was time to say goodbye to the season. You spent most of your day foraging and enjoying the last bit of warm weather.

Night time came quickly and you headed over to the beach. You almost immediately ran into Linus. You asked him why he was all the way in the back. "I'll just sneak up when the jellies arrive…" he paused, "I don't want to bother anyone." You tried to convince him that he wouldn't be a bother, which made him smile a little, but refused to move.

You then looked for Demetrius. Since he had sent the invitation, you wanted to thank him. Maru, Robin, and he were all standing around together. You were not surprised that Sebastian was not with the family. Maru commented on the weather, Robin complained about how late it was, and when you tried thanking Demetrius he just went on about what a "remarkable species" the Moonlight Jelly are and how "lucky" we are that they stop here. You chuckled that Sebastian was related to them. As you continued walking, everybody seemed to be either thinking about the end of summer or the jellyfish.

Finally, you found Shane standing on the docks.

"Hey, there you are."

"Hi, Shane. This is so exciting!" you stood next to him.

"The jellies were here a year ago, and they'll be back again a year from now…nature is amazing." he continued to look into the water.

"Isn't it?" you smiled.

Jas peeked over from behind Shane and said, "I hope there are babies this year!"

"Me too! They're the cutest!"

Jas gave you a big grin.

Mayor Lewis walked over to you, "Good evening, (Y/N). The moonlight jellies are close…I already saw one glowing in the distance. Once we launch the candle-boat they'll come up to the docks and say hello."

"Let's do it now!" Jas yelled.

"What do you think…should I launch the boat now?" Mayor Lewis smirked at Jas.

"Yes! Yes!" continued Jas with the excitement of a child.

"Well, I think Jas has already answered for us all." you chuckled.

Mayor Lewis detached the rope that kept the candle-boat attached to the docks. It was gently pulled away by the waves. Jas had run off to find Marnie and Mayor Lewis had followed. Shane and you were sitting on the docks waiting for the show.

"So why are you hanging around the town drunk instead of your emo, goth friends?"

"Because I'd rather spend time with you, even if you are the town drunk." you gave a small laugh.

"I don't really get why, but okay." he didn't laugh.

It had become increasingly dark and you began to see little bulbs of light moving towards you. As they moved closer, you could see the shape of the jellies.

"It's wonderful to think that these little creatures simply happened to have bioluminescent organs that emit light. That, by nature, they could be this beautiful." you thought out loud.

"I guess some things are just naturally beautiful like that. They don't have to try. Like I said, nature is amazing." Shane looked at you.

"Exactly. That must be nice…" you paused, "It almost looks like we're looking at the night sky and the jellies are big, bright stars floating around."

You both stayed quiet for a few minutes enjoying the magical view of this last summer night. It was late and the night began to grow chilly as fall neared. You, being sensitive to the weather, began to shiver as quietly as you could. _How am I already getting cold? And I didn't even bring a sweater. I don't want my shivering to annoy him._

"I'm right next to you. I can still hear you shiver, you know?" he put his arm around you.

"Hey, Shane?" you looked over at him, blushing.

"Yeah?" he looked at your after taking a drink of his beer.

"Like those jellyfish, let's be back here next year too and watch them together."

He didn't say anything. You wished he had.


	10. Chapter 10: A Family Dinner

A week of fall had gone by and you were still in awe at all the vibrant colors of the season. The trees varied from chestnut to reddish violet to deep orange. Bright leaves were falling in a swaying motion covering the wilting grass in colors. You began to find blackberries and mushrooms in abundance. All your crops had wilted, except for one. You discovered that corn would also growing during fall! _Thank Yoba! How incredible can corn be?_ You went over to Pierre's and bought some more seeds. You already had some eggplants and bok choy growing, but you definitely needed pumpkin. It wouldn't be fall without pumpkins. You saw some other seeds that looked fun to grow, but decided to wait for now. While at Pierre's, you ran into Marnie.

"Good morning, Marnie. How are you today?" you said to her cheerfully.

"Hello, sweetie. I'm doing great and yourself?"

"I'm good, just gonna plant some pumpkin seeds."

"Of course, it is fall. I have been meaning to ask you. Would you like to come over for dinner with us?" she gave you a warm smile.

"Oh, that's very kind of you. I would love to. Should I bring anything?"

"Well, if you want to get on my nephew's good side, you can bring some hot peppers."

"Oh, uh," you looked away and chuckled, "sure, I can do that. I still have a lot from summer."

"Wonderful. Jas will be excited to see you. And I'm sure Shane will be too," she raised her eyebrows, "I won't tell him so it'll be a little surprise for him. He's home all day on Sundays anyways. See you at 6 PM then." and she walked away.

You just stood there for a minute. _Oh, Yoba. What is happening?! I've been to Marnie's ranch sure, but only to inquire about animals. Am I going to have dinner with Shane's family? Is this actually happening?_

You headed home at a quicker pace than normal. Immediately, you got to work on tilling the soil, putting some fertilizer, planting the seeds, and watering them. The manual labor helped keep your head clear. That is until you were done. It was barely 1 PM so you decided to go for a walk to try and keep your nerves in check. _What if I completely mess this up? What if I do something stupid? What if Shane doesn't even want me there? This could be a terrible surprise for him._ You were walking by the river when you heard someone.

"(Y/N)" it was Sebastian.

"Oh, hi. I'm sorry. I didn't see you. I wasn't paying attention." you gave a small laugh.

"You doing okay?" he took the cigarette off his lips.

"Yea, I'm good. Don't worry. I'm just nervous about something."

"Hey, sit down with me. Just watch the water flow. It's peaceful, isn't it?"

"Yea, it really is." you said after sitting next to him, the smell of tobacco lingered in the air.

"Sam usually comes with me on Sundays, but I like being here alone sometimes."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I leave?" you began to get up.

"No, you're fine. Just be quiet." he grabbed your hand and pulled you back down then quickly pulled his hand away.

You both sat in silence watching the river follow its course. You felt much more at ease. Time passed rather quickly.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I really appreciate you letting me keep you company." you broke the silence.

"It's no problem at all. I enjoyed it." he flicked a cigarette butt into the river.

"I have to go now, but I'll see you around, okay?" you said getting up.

"Right," he got up too, "See you around." he walked away.

You headed home to freshen up a bit and grab the hot peppers. On your way to Marnie's ranch, the anxiety began to build up again. You were feeling nauseous, but you had to show up. _I can't just not show up._

You lightly knocked on the door. Marnie opened it in only a few seconds. She brightly told you to wait and she would go call Shane out of his room. You walked over to the kitchen where Jas was, you waved at her and she giggled. You set the hot peppers on the table. Marnie walked into Shane's door since he did not open the door.

"Oh dear…" you heard her say with a tone of concern. You headed over to Shane's room, worried that something might have happened to him.

"(Y/N), can you do something? He's out cold." she told you. Shane had collapsed in the middle of his room. He was surrounded by empty cans of beer. It was your first time in Shane's room, but you didn't really see beyond him collapsed on the floor. You couldn't notice any of the details. You looked at Marnie and walked to the kitchen to grab a bowl of cold water. You stood in front of Shane and poured it over his face.

"Whaa…?!" he woke up, seemingly surprised and very confused. He looked at you through dark eyes.

"Shane! What's the matter with you? All you do is mope around your room and drink beer!" Marnie was actually upset. You had never seen her upset. Shane looked away and stayed quiet for a few seconds.

"You wouldn't understand…" he muttered turning around.

"I'm worried…" Marnie's voice softened a little, "What's your plan? Don't you ever think about the future?" You noticed Jas had walked into the room.

"Plan?" Shane said with a scoff, "Hopefully I won't be around long enough to need a plan."

Jas' big eyes were already tearing up, but upon the ending of that sentence, she began to sob. Shane turned around, but Jas was already running out of the room, followed by Marnie.

"Jas…I'm sorry," Shane said looking down at his feet. You saw tears welling up in his eyes. He knelt down and pulled at his hair. His eyes were tightly shut now. It was as if he feared that the anger and hatred would leak out of him at any second. You hadn't said a word this whole time. You just stood there. Finally, you began to take a few steps towards him. You were crying.

"Stay away from me!" he screamed. You stood in place, shocked. You hadn't heard that in a long time.

"I'm sorry…" you took a step back then ran off altogether. You thought of your mother that night. Looking up at the moon, you told her, "I miss you, mom. Please help me save him in the way that I couldn't save you."


	11. Chapter 11: Friends

It had been a hard last couple of days. You had been staying away from people as much as you could. You still did the farm chores, but in an automatic sort of way. Sleep kept evading you and when it came, it was followed by cruel dreams. That whole scene kept playing over and over in your head. _I should have said something._ You finally got enough money and materials to ask Robin if she could build you a coop. You had been so excited about finally having it be built, but now it sort of just reminded you of Shane. You weren't really sure what to do. _Should I go talk to him? Or wait until he talks to me? Will he ever? He might be upset if I talk to him. Maybe he doesn't want me talking to him at all ever again._

In the evening, you were taking a walk on the mountain. As you passed by Robin's house, you noticed the garage door was open. That was strange. It was never open. You moved closer and noticed somebody working under a navy blue motorcycle. They were wearing all black. _Oh, it's Sebastian then. Maybe a bit of conversation will do me good._ You walked over and stood next to Sebastian.

"Hey, Sebastian."

"Oh, hello (Y/N)." he said sliding slightly forward.

"What are you doing?"

"What, you haven't seen my motorcycle before? Hmm…I guess I haven't shown it to you."

"No, I never even knew you had one, I think. That's cool though." you could see oil stains on his cheek.

He slid back under the motorcycle and you could hear the clanking of metal tools.

"Sometimes, after the sundown, I make the long ride out of Stardew Valley…There's nothing like it, blazing along the empty stretch of the road toward the faint city glow…" he paused and you heard more clanking, "Once I've saved up enough money, I'm going to head out on my own…to the city and beyond. Just me and my bike."

"I'm sure you'll do great out there. You're brilliant and very independent." you heard an extra loud clank.

"Uh, thanks…" he muttered. A minute or two passed as you waited for him to finish with his bike.

"There we go, oil's changed." he slid out from under the bike and sat on the floor, so you sat next to him.

"Hey…maybe I'll take you for a ride someday."

"That sounds fun." you smiled for the first time in days.

"Great," he quickly got up, "I have to get back to work. See you around."

"Okay. Bye then." you were a little disappointed.

You went fishing in the mountain until late. That way nobody would be around on your way home. _Didn't catch anything good. I don't know why I even bother fishing. I suck._

It was 11 PM, so you decided to head home to another night of no rest. As you were entering your farm, you saw Shane standing outside your house. He began to take a step forward, but then he muttered something and walked back. You caught up to him.

"Shane, wait…" he stopped and turned to look at you, "I'm sorry if I upset you that day. I'm sorry…for not doing anything or saying anything…" you began to tear up, your fists clenching.

"Why are you apologizing? None of what happened was your fault. I just…it's like I'm losing my mind." his gaze fell to the floor.

"Lean on me, okay? We're friends. I'm here for you. Don't you see that?" you took a hold of his hand, tears were still streaming down your face.

"Yea, okay….," he looked at you, "Listen…I'm sorry for yelling at you. You're the only person in this shit town that has been nice to me. You didn't deserve that." he pulled you closer to him and held you tightly for a few minutes.

"I forgive you, so don't worry…" your crying finally eased down and he gently pulled away.

"Thanks…" he smirked, "I didn't know you were such a cry baby."

"Shut up…" you softly hit him on the arm, "By the way my chicken coop is finally being built. I'd been wanting to tell you."

"That quickly? Very nice job. Anyways, get some rest, yeah? You look exhausted." he looked at your face with a frown of concern.

"Mhm, I will. You too, please."

"Right. Well, goodnight then. You'll tell me more about your plans with the coop tomorrow at the saloon?"

"I will definitely do that tomorrow." you smiled.

You watched him leave your farm into the forest as he began to head back to Marnie's ranch. The stars shone a little brighter than night. Your heart felt much lighter and much warmer as you dozed off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12: The Chicken Coop

"The little coop is complete. Robin said I can fit four chickens in it. I already have the name for my two first ones!" you sat at the saloon.

"Alright…but first, have you built a fence around it? Gotten plenty of hay for them? Did you make sure to build it by a grassy area?" Shane put down his beer.

"See…um…this is what I have you for," you smiled sheepishly, "but I did make sure it's by a grassy area with plenty of space as you previously told me I should do."

"Good thing tomorrow is Sunday then. I'll help you set everything up."

"Really? You don't have to. It's your only day off."

"What else would I be doing? Drinking in my room? Don't worry about it."

"Thank you. You're the best! I'm gonna head home. See you around 12 PM?"

"Sure thing. 'Night."

"Goodnight!" as you walked away you looked back and thought you saw him smile. _Could it… be because of me? No…_ you chuckled. _We're just friends, but I'm happy with that._

That morning you woke up at your usual time. Watered your crops and harvested what was ready. You gathered up some old stakes you had put away behind your house and laid them next to the green coop. You saw Shane began to approach…he was still wearing that Joja uniform even though he wasn't working. _I wonder if he even has other clothes._

"Good morning, Shane!" you waved at him.

"Hey, morning."

"Okay, so this is the coop," you gestured towards it, "I gathered some stakes for the fence. I can make the holes and you set and hammer in the stakes."

"Alright then, let's get started." he picked up a stake and you handed him a hammer.

You usually don't mind work or even hard work. Today, though, you were enjoying it. There was something about looking up and seeing Shane there, both of you working together. It didn't seem much like work anymore. After the fence was all done and ready, you both headed to Marnie's ranch to get some hay and pick up the chickens.

"Hello, Marnie." you said as you approached the counter, Shane behind you.

"Good afternoon, dear," her eyes shifted behind you, "Shane? What are you doing up so early? And out of your room?" she smiled.

"Couldn't let the new farmer make the poor chickens suffer" he said playfully, "I'm helping her set up the new coop."

"Wonderful, wonderful. I hope my nephew will be of some good help to you then. What would you like to purchase?" she seemed happy.

"Oh, he is great help," you gave her a thumbs up with a serious look, "Could I have ten stacks of hay and two chickens, please?"

"Of course."

Shane carried the hay, while you carried the two baby chicks. He set up some food for them on the feeding bench and put the rest away.

"So, what are you gonna name them?"

"I will name them Miso and Nutmeg." you smiled as if proud, expecting him to make fun of you, but he didn't.

"Sounds good. Put little Miso and Nutmeg down then. Gently." you did and they immediately began to run around the coop. Shane watched them, kneeling over, occasionally petting their head with his finger. He smiled. Honestly smiled. It was one of those moments. When your mind begins to record because the scene is too important to forget. Because deep inside you, it changes something. Most often people tend to record bad memories with their mind. But this was one of those time when it wasn't.

"Make sure to let them out every day, but not when it rains. Don't forget to feed them if they're inside the coop and don't leave them outside overnight."

"Okay, Mr. Chicken Whisperer," you chuckled, "I'll take good care of them. I promise."

"I'm sure you will. They'll be happy here. You're weird, but you're very kind."

"Not as weird as you." you blushed a little.

"Yeah, maybe not that weird." he smirked.

"By the way, I have some veggies that I can stir fry in the house. You wanna have some dinner? It's late and I wanna thank you for all the help. I know you might not be a fan of veggie stir fry, but it's all I have." you said apologetically.

"No, that sounds good actually. I can take a break from pepper poppers and pizza once in a while." he gave a small chuckle.

"I'll learn to make those for you one day. For sure." you both went inside your house, "Sorry the place is sort of small, but make yourself at home."

"It's cozy. Thanks."

"You can just sit at the table while I make the food."

"Oh, no. I can help. What, am I supposed to just sit and watch you do all the work?"

"I guess not then," you smiled at his willingness to help, "Here, you can cut up these mushrooms then."

You cooked dinner together. It was a little sloppy. Shane obviously didn't have a lot of experience in the kitchen, but he tried. The mushrooms were cut too thick and you were pretty sure there were probably little bits of dirt still left on the kale, but you both ate it contently. It was the best dinner you had since you arrived.


	13. Chapter 13: The Stardew Valley Fair

The day of the Stardew Valley Fair had arrived. You had received a letter from Mayor Lewis about a week ago explaining that this fair was a big event for the town. Apparently people from all over the country came for it. You were intending to display your produce for the event. _I really doubt I will win at all. I'm sure I'll probably do badly, but I think I'll enter anyways._ It was almost 9 AM, so you began to head over to the fair. You were bringing an amethyst, amaranth, a purple mushroom, grapes, an albacore you recently caught, a pumpkin, a plate of sashimi, a hazelnut, and an eggplant. Everything was of the best quality you had, which was probably not much compared to the others. There was cool breeze, but the sky was clear and the sun helped keep you warm. You looked for Mayor Lewis and you found him rather quickly as you arrived.

"Well (Y/N), it's the big day… Our most important festival of the year, the Stardew Valley Fair. If you'd like to participate by setting up a grange display, I've left an empty stand for you. Just let me know after you've set everything up so we can get to the judging."

"Uh…Thank you. I'll go do that." you walked over to the grange displays and noticed Pierre's, Marnie's, and Willy's looked amazing. You politely greeted everyone. Caroline explained how Pierre had been "setting aside the best-looking produce for weeks in preparation." _I probably shouldn't have procrastinated like I tend to do…_ Marnie claimed hers wasn't as good as Pierre's, but you assured her it looked great (which it did). Willy tried to encourage you to no avail. Your bit of confidence began to flee quickly. You set up your display and just walked away. It felt inadequate. You overheard a tourist talking about Marnie's display, "Wow, that's the biggest cheese wheel I've ever seen. Very impressive." _I told her it was great…_ You sighed. You ran into Sebastian You thought he'd be with Sam and Abigail, but he wasn't.

"It's kinda hectic today… There's so many people all over the place." he seemed a little annoyed.

"Oh, uh…I'm sorry. Should I…" you were interrupted.

"No, no… So, are you participating in that grange display?" his hands were in his pockets and he leaned against a fence.

"Uh…yeah, I am. But don't bother even looking," your smile looked a little sad, "I'm sure it'll be disappointing."

"Why?" his brow wrinkled and he looked at you.

"Well, everybody else's looks much better."

"Huh? I don't even have to look and I know yours is better than theirs."

"What do you mean?"

"Trust me. You'll do fine." he closed his eyes and took a drag off the cigarette.

"Um…thank you. I'm going to go say hi to everyone else. You wanna come?"

"I'm just gonna hang out here for a while. I'll be there for the judging."

"Oh… Great…" you gave a small chuckle as your rubbed your arm.

You continued to greet people and found Shane standing by some cows, chickens, and pigs. You immediately felt slightly better.

"Hey, Shane. Is this like a petting zoo sort of thing?" you looked towards the animals.

"Hey. Yeah, these animals are friendly and love to get massaged." he said as he rubbed a cow's head, "You wanna try?"

"Hmm… would I pass up the chance to pet some adorable, cuddly creatures? Heck yes, I wanna try." he smiled at your response.

"Alright, come closer." you did and he took your hand, slowly raising it towards the cow's snout and holding it there. The cow smelled your hand and Shane proceeded to softly place your hand on the cow's furry head. It was warm. You blushed slightly. Whenever he touched you, your body felt tingly. Even if it was just to put your hand on a cow's head. You rubbed the cow as Shane fed it some hay. Vincent was standing on the small fence yelling, "Mooooo!" while Jas looked resentfully at the hens.

You asked Shane if he wanted to walk around with you and he agreed. People seemed a little surprised to see Shane walking around the fair. As you walked by Haley and Alex, you noticed her giving you an ugly look.

"Oh, look. It's the dirty farmer and the town drunk." her hand was placed on her hip

"Haley, come on," Alex said but he laughed and smiled along.

"Don't they make a cute couple...? Are you guys matching? Is that why you wear ugly clothes every day?" she was laughing.

"Let's go, Shane…" you just wanted to ignore her as you usually did.

"Aww, going so soon?" she raised her eyebrow as if she had won, but Shane suddenly stopped. He walked up to Haley.

"You can make fun of me all you want, but don't talk like that about (Y/N)." he raised his hand and flicked Haley's forehead then walked away. Haley stood there in shock, her face began to turn red. Alex couldn't help chuckling, which made her even more upset and she took it out on him as she hit his arm repeatedly. She was screaming something about "EW, HOW DARE HE TOUCH ME. I'LL NEVER FORGIVE THEM. WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME? YOU SHOULD HAVE DEFENDED ME…." You and Shane fast-walked away until her screams got less noisy. You turned to him.

"I can't believe you did that!" you were laughing.

"She had it coming." he shrugged.

"Well, thank you anyways."

"Don't mention it. Hey, shouldn't we be getting to the grange display? Judging is gonna begin soon."

"Oh…Yeah… That." your sprits fell again.

"What's wrong with 'that'?" he looked at your face.

"It's just… Marnie has all these big, quality animal products. Pierre has a beautiful collection of colorful fruits and vegetables that he's been planning for weeks. Willy has fish I never even knew existed. Mine is just a mediocre mix of things."

"Sure, maybe their displays are more specific. Aunt Marnie has a ranch, Pierre sells seeds, and Willy is a fisherman. It makes sense for them to have the best of what they do. But you do everything and you work hard at everything. It'll show. You've only been here a few months and you've accomplished so much… more than I ever have. Don't worry so much."

"But what if it's not good enough and nobody likes it?" your eyes were glued to the floor.

"It'll be more than enough…" he gently lifted up your chin with his hand so you were looking at him, "And even if nobody likes it, I'll like it." his eyes looked soft and less dark at that moment.

"Let's go, before it gets too late." he took your hand and led you to the displays.

Mayor Lewis asked if you were ready for the judging to begin. You looked at Shane and he nodded at you, so you said yes. Mayor Lewis then checked every display, writing things unto a small note pad. Shane stood there with you and you noticed Sebastian standing a few feet away from you, smoking his usual cigarettes. You were staring at him so he slowly turned his gaze to you. He gave you a thumbs up, which was sort of unexpected from Sebastian. You smiled back at him. After Mayor Lewis was done he stood in the center of the displays.

"Come talk to me to learn about the results," you walked up to him, "Congratulations, (Y/N)! You got second place. Not bad for your first fair. Here's your price of 500 star tokens."

"Thank you so much." you felt a sense of relief. You were walking back to Shane with a smile on your face, but Sebastian stopped you.

"Oh, hey, Sebastian. Thanks for coming to see my display."

"What place did you get?" you could see Shane looking over at you from a distance.

"I got second place. I'm pretty happy with that. Mayor Lewis congratulated me and gave me a price and everything." you showed him the tokens.

"You should've gotten first place," he scoffed, "The other displays weren't half as good as yours."

"I don't know about that," you chuckled, "It wasn't that great."

"It had the most spirit and variety. The others were boring to look at. Anyways, I'll let you go back to your friend."

"Well, thank you. Do you wanna come with us? We'll probably wander around the fair for a bit longer. You can use some of my tokens. I have plenty for three of us now."

"I'm good, thanks… See ya" he flicked a cigarette to the ground and stepped on it then walked off.

You made your way to Shane.

"So, what did you place?" he asked.

"Second! I didn't think I'd be even close. I thought I'd get last."

"And you probably thought everyone would hate your display and laugh at you. You big dummy."

"Whatever," you squinted at him, "look I got 500 star tokens as a price. Let's go spend it!"

"Alright, sure. What do you wanna do?"

You and Shane wandered around the fair playing all the carnival games. You did terribly at the fishing one, as was expected. Neither of you were very good at the slingshot game. You kept laughing at how frustrated Shane kept getting. It was kind of cute.

Towards the end of the fair, you ran into the mysterious Wizard who lived in a tower in the forest. You didn't know his name so you just called him Wizard. He spoke to you of the woman who was in the tent next to him called Welwick. Apparently she was a "remarkable diviner."

"Let's try it!" you said to Shane.

"You try it. I don't believe in that kind of stuff."

"Fine…" you made a pouty face.

You approached the woman as Shane followed behind you.

"Ah, yes…my crystal ball is swirling with visions of your future, young one." she was an elderly woman wearing a dark blue cloak.

"Could you read my fortune, please?" you said handing her some tokens.

"Ahh yes…I see you middle-aged… and the man next to you working on a farm together. You seem happy about something. Now you are young again… standing in the rain, a man in black watches from a distance…something is in his hand… you wave at him. The crystal ball has moved on… Ah! You're in combat! There's something dreadful bearing down on your from the dark, but you seem more than ready to face it. Ahh… the crystal ball has gone dim. That's all I can do for you, young one. Now, just keep in mind that the future isn't set in stone! Whatever I've told you can still be changed, if you set your heart on it. Farewell."

"Thank you. Goodbye."

You and Shane walked away.

"What could that have meant?" you asked.

"I have no idea…" he seemed to be blushing, "A bunch of fake crap I bet."

"Do you think we'll still be friends when we're older?"

"How should I know?"

"I hope we are." you smiled.

"Whatever…let's go get a drink." so you followed him.


End file.
